There are birds we love to hate, such as the Noisy Miner. But much of the annoying behaviour on show may be a result of human-induced changes to habitats.
The numbat, Australia’s equivalent of a meerkat, is one of the unique mammal species confined to the south west.
Sean Van Alphen
There are now six species roaming wild, and their numbers are increasing dramatically as their population expands and through human action. As they spread, they raise uncomfortable issues for conservation.
Jelly invasion: is this a vision of the future for our oceans?
We know a lot about the potential negative effects of ocean acidification on marine creatures. But might some species actually benefit? The answer is yes, but this isn’t necessarily a good thing.
Small birds such as this superb fairy-wren can benefit from a bird-friendly garden.
Wren image from www.shutterstock.com
Some Australian birds are pushing out other species, and even damaging trees. The good news is we can help stop the spread of these birds, by putting native plants in our gardens.
Small but dangerous – and coming to the New World.
Rodolphe Gozlan
Rodolphe Gozlan, Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD)
A small invasive fish known as the topmouth gudgeon has already wreaked havoc on European species and its arrival to the US and South America is only a matter of time.
There’s been a lot of talk about killing feral cats, with the government’s recently announced war on cats, with a goal to kill two million by 2020. But let’s embrace cats as part of Australia’s environment.
Feral cats are thought to be responsible for the decline of many Australian species.
Melissa Jensen
Feral cats are highly adaptable and highly variable, hence we must continue to search for their Achilles Heel and invest in a wide range of control methods.
Stoats (Mustela erminea), feral cats (Felis catus), red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and black rats (Rattus rattus) are invasive predators in different parts of the world.
Clockwise from top left: Sabec/commons.wikimedia.org (CC BY-SA 3.0); T Doherty; CSIRO/commons.wikimedia.org (CC BY 3.0); 0ystercatcher/Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Research published this week shows saving wildlife is much more complicated than killing introduced predators. Killing predators often doesn’t work, and is sometimes actually worse for native wildlife.
New evidence suggests there no foxes in Tasmania. Were there ever? Even if there weren’t, the state’s multi-million dollar fox hunt was worth it to save wildlife.
Could devils help solve our feral cat crisis? The devil might be in the detail.
Ross Huggett/Flickr
Proposals to reintroduce Tassie devils to the Australian mainland have argued devils could help control feral cats. But new research shows there’s no simple answer.
Cane toads are still spreading across northern Australia.
UNSW
Cane toads, introduced in 1935 to control cane beetles, have now spread across a huge swathe of Australia, from the Kimberley in northern Western Australia to northern New South Wales. They’re still spreading…
Feral cats eat tens of millions of native animals in Australia every night.
Another Eye
Feral cats are estimated to eat tens of millions of native animals each night in Australia. But what kinds of wildlife are they eating? In research published today in the Journal of Biogeography, my colleagues…
For a month or two every summer, beaches across the south-eastern Mediterranean might be packed but the inviting seas remain suspiciously empty. It’s jellyfish season, and the “nomads” are out in force…